Engaging
by McPenname
Summary: Tony discovers that Tim has a new girlfriend, one he's been seeing for quite a while. Tony thinks Tim is making a big mistake, getting engaged when none of them know her, didn't even know about her. Who is this girl? What will Tony do? How will Tim react? What happens when other people jump to conclusions? Will Tim get his Happy Ever After?
1. Engaging, Part 1

Not Beta'd; Disclaimer applies.

* * *

Engaging, Part 1

* * *

"So, Probie, do we get to meet the new girlfriend?" Earlier, he had overheard Tim talking to someone on the phone. He had immediately begun to tease the younger agent about his 'secret love'.

"No," Tim replied firmly, shocking everyone with his response.

"Why not?"

"Because I really like her."

Eyes narrowed, "If it gets serious, we'll have to meet her sometime," Tony commented as he walked to stand in front of Tim's desk.

Tim blinked, "It's already serious."

Tony waived his hand dismissively, no doubt to McGeek, a second date was serious. "I mean, serious, serious. You know, _marriage_. Not serious, it's been a month should I give her a key to my apartment serious."

Tim just looked at Tony not saying anything, before his gaze flitted back to his desk.

"Probie?" Tony asked, his voice filled with questions. When Tim didn't respond, he asked, "Did you give her a key to your apartment?"

"No," Tim admitted, much to Tony's relief. That feeling didn't last as Tim added, "It seemed superfluous since I'm in the process of movin-"

"You're moving?" Tony questioned automatically, "Why? You love your apartment."

Tim smiled fondly, "I do, it's been great," he agreed.

"Then why move?" Tony asked seriously. "Was it her idea? Probie, if she doesn't like your apartment as is…"

"It's not that," Tim tried to explain, "And it was my idea."

"Uh-huh, sure it was," came the skeptical reply from the older agent, "And who picked out your new place? You or her?"

"It was a combined effort, bec-"

"No. No because. Probie, you shouldn't have to move to keep a girlfriend."

"I'm not moving to keep a girlfriend," Tim snapped.

"Then why are you moving?"

Tim remained silent.

"Probie, it's not right," Tony tried again. Tim still silent. "Do I have to get Gibbs involved?"

"Involved in what?" Gibbs asked as he entered the bullpen.

"Probie's moving."

"Okay. Does he need a truck?"

"No," Tony began.

"Don't see why else I need to be involved," Gibbs observed.

"His new girlfriend is making him move!" Tony explained. "He loves that apartment. He shouldn't have to give it up just to keep a girlfriend."

Gibbs's eyes traveled to Tim, "McGee?"

Tim just shrugged and tried to go back to work.

"See! He's not denying it," Tony crowed.

Tim remained silent, Gibbs watching.

"Boss, I think we need an intervention," Tony stated softly.

"I don't need an intervention," Tim retorted.

"Then you need a straight jacket," Tony snapped. "You don't need to move to keep a girlfriend."

Tim snorted, "No, but I would like to live with my wife," he muttered.

"What?!" Tony responded automatically, sure he misheard.

"McGee?" Gibbs questioned.

Tony overcame his shock and responded before Tim could, "You're married? To someone we haven't met?"

"No, not yet," Tim admitted.

"Engaged?"

"Kinda," Tim honestly replied, thinking about it.

"Kind of? What does that mean?"

Tim shook his head, hoping to keep the details to himself.

"C'mon, Probie, you can't say something like that and not explain."

"Tony, it's not any of your business."

"Of course it's my business. Who else is gonna be the best man at your wedding?

"Don't answer that," Tony ordered when Tim opened his mouth to respond. "Seriously, how can you get engaged to a woman none of us have met?" Tony asked. "Don't answer that," he repeated, preventing Tim from speaking again. "What do you _really_ know about her? Not what she _told_ you, but what you _know_. I'm assuming you did a full background check."

"Tony!"

"C'mon Probie, you're not known for making smart decisions when it comes to girlfriends. Do you really think you're ready for marriage? Especially to a girl you just met?" Tony added, staring at Tim waiting for a response.

"We didn't just meet."

"Talking on the internet for a few months doesn't count," Tony retorted dryly.

"I've known her for years, we've been dating for awhile now," Tim admitted.

Tony straightened up at that news, "And you've never mentioned her to us? Why? What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing, it's what's wrong with you," Tim snapped before moving his gaze to Gibbs. "Can we get back to work now?"

Gibbs nodded and continued to his desk, "DiNozzo, what you got?"

"A probie about to make the biggest mistake of his life," Tony muttered before retrieving his notes on what he found.

* * *

Tim has a girlfriend, and apparently the relationship has been going on for a while. Who is she? and what will Tony do to make sure his probie isn't making a mistake?

* * *

11-3-18


	2. Engaging, Part 2

Not Beta'd; Standard Disclaimer applies

This story involves Tim and an original character...It is not Tim/Ziva or Tim/Abby...just to clarify

* * *

Engaging Part 2

* * *

"Tony, stop following me," Tim ordered as soon as his partner answered the phone. It has been a few days since Tony found out about the seriousness of Tim's relationship. Since then he's tried numerous ways to try to track down and identify her. This was not the first time Tim saw Tony following him, but since he was meeting her tonight, he knew he had to lose Tony.

"I'm not," came the casual denial.

"Why else are you heading this way?" Tim bluntly asked.

Pause, "Just taking a leisurely drive."

Tim snorted, no such thing with DC traffic. "Tony."

"McGee, Tim," Tony interrupted, "Can we talk? Seriously? Mano a mano?"

Tim rolled his eyes, "Fine, just continue to not follow me," he replied dryly, before hanging up that call and making a quick one to his girlfriend to explain why he'll be late and that she should grab something to eat without him.

After a few minutes, he pulled into a lot and parked his car before exiting it and entering the building in front of him. After informing the hostess that he was expecting someone to join him, and that he was unsure if they would be getting just drinks, or drinks and food, he was seated at a table that could fit four in the lounge.

"Italian, good choice," Tony said as he grabbed the seat across from Tim.

"Yo-" Tim broke off as the waitress came by and introduced herself, after placing the menus on the table and getting their drink orders, the two men sat in silence looking at each other, neither speaking.

Soon their drinks were placed in front of them.

"You wanted to talk," Tim finally stated, staring at the older agent.

Tony nodded. "I'm worried," he admitted. "I know your love life hasn't gone smoothly, but do you really think that jumping into marriage will help that? Geez, all you have to do is look at Gibbs to know that's not the answer."

"I'm not Gibbs," Tim responded. "And Lexi isn't one of his exes," he added.

"Lexi?" Tony repeated, making a note of the name Tim had finally shared.

"Tony," Tim pointedly reminded him.

"Still, how well do you really know her? How long have you known her?"

Tim sighed, realizing the only way to get Tony out of his hair was to answer his questions. "I've known her for a few years. She was recently transferred here, an opportunity she took because she had family in the area she wanted to meet and get acquainted with."

"Meet family? She sounds like quite a girl if she needs to _meet_ her family," Tony sniped.

Tim shook his head. "Her father lives out here. He wasn't involved in her life when she was growing up, she was raised on the west coast by her mother. However, she has a sibling she wanted to get to know."

Tony nodded, "Have you met them?"

Tim shook his head, "No, not yet. When we started dating, Lexi had really just begun a relationship with her father and sister; we decided not to introduce me to them yet."

Tony nodded, still looking at Tim, knowing that there was more to the story.

"I did contact her father to ask permission for marriage," Tim reluctantly admitted.

Tony frowned, "You asked permission from a deadbeat dad?"

"He's not a deadbeat dad," Tim corrected. "He was young, both her parents were. When Lexi's mother discovered she was pregnant, he suggested marriage, her mother refused, saying she wasn't sure he was the father."

Tony stared at shock at the soap-opera like tale. "Did he ask for a DNA test?"

"DNA wasn't as prevalent then, we're talking about 30 years ago," Tim reminded his friend.

"So did they recently get tested?"

"No,"

"Then how does she know he's her father?"

"Her mother admitted that she lied. She didn't want to be forced into a marriage, didn't want to leave the west coast, didn't want to tie him down and keep him from his dreams. She wanted to raise her child her way, without interference from anyone else."

"Sounds like a winner," Tony drawled.

"Tony," Tim warned.

"I'm just saying-"

"Don't," Tim interrupted. "Look, I love Lexi. I'm glad she's part of my life again and I don't want to lose her. Her family might not be textbook perfect, but neither is mine," Tim admitted.

"Part of your life _again,"_ Tony repeated.

Tim rolled his eyes, he should've known that Tony would pick up on that. "I knew her when I lived in California. She actually used to babysit Sarah," Tim admitted.

Tony laughed, thinking of all the jokes he could make regarding Tim crushing on the babysitter.

"When she decided to move back out this way, she contacted Sarah and I so she wouldn't feel completely alone," Tim explained.

Tony sighed, "Okay, so _maybe_ she isn't a serial killer," he reluctantly admitted. "But that doesn't mean that you aren't rushing into things. I mean, you did just reconnect with her recently. Will you promise that I will at least meet her before the wedding?"

"We'll see," Tim smirked, "Now, do you want to order or leave?"

Tony looked around at the décor, the customers and the plates around them, "Food looks good."

"Lexi and I like it," Tim agreed.

Tony nodded, "Okay, then, if you don't have to go anywhere, we can order," he replied, looking at Tim who also picked up one of the menus. Tim had a feeling that despite their talk, if he mentioned that he was meeting Lexi, Tony would still follow him, or get Abby to track his phone.

"What do you suggest?" Tony asked a few minutes later as he continued to peruse the menu, unable to make a decision. When no answer came, he lowered the menu to look at his friend. To his surprise, Tim was no longer looking at the menu, but instead was staring at the door. Turning his head, he followed Tim's gaze.

"Whoa," Tony muttered, "She is really hot," he said with another glance at McGee. Still no answer. With a grin, he commented, "Perhaps you're not as ready for marriage as you think," he snickered.

"No, I'm ready," Tim argued, eyes not straying from the blonde beauty.

"Uh-huh, right, sure you are," Tony remarked, still watching him. "Hey, McGee, you got something…there," he said, pointing to his chin.

"Shut up, Tony," Tim muttered, "I'm not drooling."

"Not yet," Tony admitted, "You know, if you don't stop staring she's gonna notice."

"Nothing wrong with that," Tim replied with a grin, shocking Tony with his attitude.

Tony snickered, "Might be 'kinda' engaged, but you're not dead?"

"Something like that," Tim smirked.

Tony shrugged, not really caring. Hey, if this helps Tim realize that he is rushing into things with the mysterious Lexi, all the better. Turning around again, he looked at the woman that had Tim mesmerized, her gaze floating between the two men. "Um, Probie, I think she's heading over here," Tony remarked, looking at Tim who just shrugged.

"Fine with me."

Tony's eyes flickered between the woman and Tim. While earlier her gaze had flickered to Tony, now, she seemed as infatuated with Tim as he was with her. He stopped and looked closer at Tim. He could understand Probie's reaction, the woman was seriously hot, but hers? Probably the fact that Tim had barely taken his eyes off her since she entered the building was the big draw. No doubt she figured she could wrap him around her finger, getting him to buy her dinner and a few drinks with only a bat of her lashes.

"Geesh, Probie, have some dignity," Tony muttered.

Tim snorted, "That's funny coming from you," he retorted.

"Hey, I'm not that obvious," he challenged.

Tim snorted again.

"I'm not," Tony denied, "Nor am I 'kinda' engaged."

"You're kind of engaged?" The sexy blonde asked in surprise, looking at Tim.

Tim shrugged not answering, though his cheeks did redden.

"She someone special?" The woman inquired, meeting Tim's gaze.

"The best," Tim admitted quietly.

The blonde stared back unblinking for a moment before flicking her gaze to Tony. "And your friend?"

"Not even close to being engaged," Tony injected with a flirtatious smile.

Tim snorted, "Special Agent Tony DiNozzo," he began.

" _Very Special_ Agent," Tony corrected, causing Tim to roll his eyes.

With a smile, the woman once more met Tim's gaze, "And are you very special as well?"

Tim shrugged, causing the woman to ask, "Does your 'kinda' fiancé think you're very special?"

"I would hope so," Tim answered honestly, meeting the woman's gaze.

"I know I do," the woman replied, running a finger down Tim's arm. The combination of her words and actions making Tony's jaw drop open. What was going on here? She knows Tim is practically engaged and she still flirts with him, ignoring the unattached Tony?

"Probie, maybe we should leave," Tony said, getting more uncomfortable as each moment and look between the other two passed.

"I thought you liked Italian?" Tim asked in surprise.

"I do," he confirmed, before leaning closer to Tim and hissing, "And I thought you liked, _loved_ Lexi?"

Tim grinned, "I do."

Tony snorted, "You're sure not acting like it."

"Oh! I haven't introduced myself," the blonde stated, turning to Tony, "I'm Alexandria Taylor."

Tony nodded, "Yeah, nice to meet you, but my friend and I really need to leave now," he stated as he began to push back his chair.

"So soon? But didn't you just arrive?"

"Yeah, but such is the life of a federal agent," he offered as an excuse. "Probie, let's go," he ordered when Tim remained seated.

"I can stay with Tim," Alexandria offered.

"No, that's okay," Tony refused, "We need to go…wait, Tim?" He asked. He didn't recall Probie introducing himself, nor did he remember calling Tim by his name. Taking his seat once more, he asked, "You two know each other?"

"Yeah," Tim admitted.

"How?" Tony asked.

"Tony, meet, Lexi; Lexi, Tony," Tim finished with a grin, as Lexi sat down next to McGee, leaning over to give him a kiss in greeting.

* * *

11-5-18

* * *

Tony got his wish and met Tim's girlfriend...


	3. Engaging, Part 3

Not Beta'd; standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

Engaging, Part 3

* * *

"C'mon, Probie, how'd you Sexy Lexi reconnect?" Those were the first words Tony spoke Monday morning when he entered the bullpen. He had also called, emailed, and texted Tim at least once a day during the weekend with the same or similar questions. Each and every time he used that nickname, even, or especially when Tim asked him not to.

"Sexy Lexi?" Ziva inquired.

"Probie's hot kinda fiance," Tony responded.

"You met her?"

"The three of us had dinner the other night," Tony shared.

Tim snorted, "Only because you were following me home."

"Hey, that had nothing to do with Sexy Lexi showing up."

Ziva watched the two of them, her eyes darting back and forth.

"Don't call her that," Tim snapped.

"But she is, you should be proud," Tony added,

"Why? Her looks have nothing to do with me," Tim stated.

"No," Tony admitted, "And I admit I was surprise when we were introduced."

Tim snickered, "Surprised? You stared at her for over five minutes, then when you went to reintroduce yourself, you knocked your drink off the table and into her lap."

" _Almos_ t into her lap," Tony corrected. "And you should thank me for that; she climbed into your lap to make sure she didn't get any on her clothes."

Tim rolled his eyes, "She's my _girlfriend_ , it's not like it's unheard of for her to sit in my lap."

"Lap dances, Probie?" Tony inquired, with a leer, only to receive a headslap.

"Thank you, boss," both Tony and Tim said, though for very different reasons.

* * *

"DiNozzo," Tim growled, calling attention to himself for both his tone and the use of Tony's surname. "That's my fiancée you're talking about." For the past ten days, whether they were working a case or not, Tony was constantly talking about Lexi. Tim had tried his best to ignore it, refusing to answer the senior field agent, but he couldn't help how angy he got when he heard Tony being so disrespectful to her.

"You mean your 'kinda fiancee'" Tony snickered. "Just like you're 'kinda engaged', remember?"

Tim didn't reply, just stared at Tony.

"Probie?" he asked. "We talked about this. Tell me you didn't get engaged."

"You said not to get engaged before you met her," Tim replied with a shrug, "you met her."

"Barely!" he agreed. "And no one else on the team did."

"You didn't mention them, except that they meet before the wedding."

Tony opened his mouth to reply before shutting it again. With how upset Tim was, Tony wouldn't be surprised if his partner arranged for Lexi to stop by the bullpen one afternoon before the two eloped.

"What did you do?" Tony finally asked. "Arrange to meet with the deadbeat dad over the weekend and then got down on bended knee right after?"

Tim frowned, "We haven't had a chance to meet yet. Hopefully we are doing that to-soon," Tim corrected, deciding it was best no to tell Tony the specifics of that meeting. He was nervous enough about it, without having to worry about his partner following him or crashing the meeting.

"And yet you still popped the question," Tony snickered.

" _I_ didn't say anything," Tim stressed. "You did," he pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Ziva asked, her gaze travelling back and forth between the agents.

"He told her I was kind of engaged."

"He told her what you planned?" Ziva asked, frowning at Tony. "Why would you ruin that for both of them? Honestly, Tony. How could you do that?"

"Hey," Tony tried to protest.

"He also tried to pick her up," Tim added.

"I didn't know who she was," Tony defended himself.

Ziva glared at Tony.

"Would it have mattered?" Tim asked, loud enough for both Ziva and Tony to hear.

"I thought I was _saving_ your relationship."

More glares.

"Look, all I knew was that this hot girl that Tim couldn't take his eyes off of,"

"Neither could you," Tim pointed out, refusing to feel guilty for getting Ziva upset with Tony. He hid a smirk, if only Abby had been in the room as well, he thought.

"Well, she was hot," Tony repeated. "I mean, _really_ smoking hot. Her dre- er, anyway," he said, when his coworker's glares intensified, "She walked into the restaurant, Tim was obviously staring. I needed to do something, you know, with you being 'kinda' engaged, I figured you needed my help."

"McGee, you're engaged?" Fornell asked as he entered the bullpen with Gibbs and caught the end of the conversation. "Congratulations."

Tim just smiled, not wanting to explain and turned to their favorite FBI Agent, warmly asking, "So what brings you by, Agent Fornell?"

"What else?" Gibbs smirked, "He needs our help."

"I don't _need_ your help," he protested before continuing when all the agents looked at him. "But I would appreciate some assistance, especially from you, McGee."

Tim nodded, "Of course," he replied in agreement after receiving a nod from Gibbs.

"Good, let's go so I can tell you what we got and what I need," Fornell gruffly replied, leading the team into one of the conference rooms.

* * *

11-6-18

* * *

Okay, so some chapters/parts are shorter than others...


	4. Engaging Part 4

Not beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

Engaging, Part 4

* * *

"Fornell," Gibbs stopped the FBI agent before he could leave the bullpen.

Fornell entered the elevator and turned, Gibbs entering right behind him. "What?"

"McGee will get it done, because he knows that it's important,"

"I know, it's one of the reasons why I came to you," Tobias replied, surprised when Gibbs stopped the car from moving. "He's a good egg."

Gibbs stared at Fornell for a few minutes before revealing the reason behind this conference. "But I would appreciate it if you eased up. I don't know what is going on with you, but don't take it out on my team." During their meeting, Fornell had snapped, growled, and hissed whenever anyone had asked a question or made a comment. It wasn't unusual for Tobias to respond that way to DiNozzo, especially when Tony was in one of his moods, but to react that way to McGee, who, as usual, was unfailingly polite and respectful? That was something Gibbs couldn't let slide, especially when Fornell sought their help with his case, and McGee had voluntarily agreed.

"The case,"

Gibbs snorted, "I know you well enough to know that it is more than the case that has you acting like this. I don't care if you share whatever it is or not, just don't take it out on _my_ team. Next time they might not be so willing to lend a hand."

"I'm n-"

"Don't."

Fornell looked away. "I'm a bit stressed," he admitted, "having dinner with my daughter and meeting with her _boyfriend_ for the first time."

Gibbs looked startled at that news, "Emily has a boyfriend? Isn't she too young?"

"Er, no, not Emily, Allie," Tobias said sheepishly.

Gibbs looked even more startled at that piece of news. "Tobias?"

"I have a daughter from a previous relationship," he awkwardly admitted, before explaining the situation, both what happened 28 years ago and in more recent times, to his friend. "Apparently she's been seeing some kid for a while, and she wants me to meet him."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?" Gibbs asked, not sure why his friend was so stressed or upset about this.

Fornell frowned, "She has barely told me anything about him. Hasn't even told me that the relationship is serious."

"How serious?"

"He asked me for permission to propose," Tobias admitted.

"And she hasn't mentioned him before?"

"Not until this last month. I thought it was someone new in her life, but if he's thinking marriage..." Fornell's voice trailed off.

Gibbs frowned in confusion, as another thought came to him. "Wait a minute, I thought you hadn't met him, how did he ask for permission?"

"I haven't," Tobias replied, "He contacted me by e-mail."

Gibbs snorted, "Good thing I'm not the father, I never check my email."

Tobias rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well I did, and responded that I felt I had no place giving permission since I hadn't been part of her life until recently. He, however, was very persistent, said since I was involved now, he wanted to follow the proper channels," Tobias grimaced, "And very polite. I finally stated that he had my permission but that, if possible, I would like to meet him before he asked, and definitely before the ceremony."

"So you're meeting tonight?"

"That's the plan," Tobias remarked with a grimace and a nod, along with a quick check of his watch. "As long as I can get back to the office, give an update on this and file a few reports, yeah."

Gibbs nodded and flipped the switch to restart the elevator car.

"I can't believe it though, I just got my daughter, and now I'm losing her," Fornell mourned.

Gibbs shrugged, "At least with him in the area, you know she probably won't move back to California."

Tobias just glared, though he had to admit, Gibbs did have a point.

"Or you could think of it as gaining a son…and soon grandchildren," Gibbs smirked as the doors opened on the ground floor.

The Feeb scowled, "Not helping," he muttered, walking away, his friend's laughter echoing in his ears.

* * *

11-7-18

* * *

Coincidence?


	5. Engaging, Part 5

Not Beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

"How was dinner?" Gibbs asked as he met Fornell in the lobby the next morning. Gibbs hoped that the scowl on his friend's face was because of the daughter's boyfriend and not related to the case his team was working on for the FBI. Of course, either way, he should try to get his friend to calm down. The last thing he wanted was Fornell's attitude angering his team.

"He cancelled," the FBI agent growled, slamming his empty cup in the trash.

Gibbs just lifted an eyebrow at the anger his friend exhibited. "Let's get you another coffee," Gibbs suggested, heading towards the café. "Why?"

Tobias shrugged, "He said something came up at work."

"And you don't believe him."

"What could possibly come up that takes precedence over his future wife's father?" Fornell growled. " _He's_ the one who pushed for the meeting. I have half a mind to rescind my permission."

"Oh, Tobias," Gibbs shook his head, "That won't work and you know it. If he's determined to marry your daughter, your permission doesn't matter."

"I don't know how determined he is, since he blew us off last night."

Gibbs paused, "He didn't let her know?"

"I suspected something was up when he came across so polite with his email asking for my permission," the Feeb muttered. "No doubt he was trying to impress me. Well, it didn't work," Tobias ranted before answering the question. "He told her that he was going to be late, then called _after_ we were supposed to meet and said he couldn't make it."

"Was she upset?"

"No," he snarled, sounding even angrier about that fact. "I got the feeling that last night wasn't the first time he pulled this stunt."

"And she didn't say what he did?"

"Nope, said she couldn't," Fornell admitted gruffly. "And I gotta admit, that raised some flags with me. Either she doesn't know what he does or she can't tell me. Both point to the same thing."

The two exchanged looks "Illegal activity," and said in unison.

"Hmm," Gibbs hummed, as they placed their order.

"What are you thinking?" Fornell asked as they headed back towards the bullpen.

"Just wondering why you don't track him down."

Another scowl, "Don't have a name."

"Nothing?" Gibbs sounded incredulous. "Allie hasn't told you?"

"No," Still scowling. Gibbs was sure he was thinking more and more along the criminal route.

"And the e-mail?"

A glare now accompanied the scowl, "Set up just to contact me."

"How do you know that?" Gibbs asked.

"It's from one of those free sights, and the handle is 'iloveyourdaughter'."

Gibbs couldn't help but laugh, "At least he's not afraid to say how he feels."

"Apparently he is in person, he bailed, remember?" Fornell corrected. "And he signed the e-mail 'T'. Who the hell has a single letter as a name?"

Gibbs tried to hide his smirk.

"It's not funny," Tobias snapped. "Who the hell does he think he is, a rapper?"

"Better that than a drug lord," Gibbs replied, taking a sip of his coffee.

Fornell grunted in disagreement, "Drug lords I know how to handle, you shoot them."

Gibbs let loose a bark of laughter, "Well, I don't recommend shooting her boyfriend. Arrest, sure, if you can find cause, but shoot?" Gibbs shook his head, "Nope."

The two walked in silence for a few minutes.

"You plan on giving him a second chance?"

"Don't want to," he admitted, "But Allie insists on it. I figure maybe _I_ can have a few work emergencies come up to delay our meeting, can't help it when things come up at the last minute," he smirked at his friend.

"And when the meet and greet does happen, go straight from work so you have your gun on hand?" Gibbs asked, receiving another smirk as the answer.

"You know," Gibbs smirked, as the two entered the building and headed to the elevator. "McGee's good with computers."

Fornell just stared at him. He knew that, it was why he asked for McGee's he- _assistance,_ on this case.

As they exited the car, Gibbs continued, "He might be able to trace the owner of that email address, and he would never have to know that it was personal."

Fornell stared after his friend, the possibilities racing through his mind. Could he ask McGee to do that? Like Gibbs, he was sure McGee could get it done. And while it might not be ethical, the father in him was screaming that he didn't really care about that. All that mattered was protecting his daughter from this Rapper Drug Lord.

* * *

11-8-18

* * *

Should Fornell ask McGee to track down the owner of that e-mail address?


	6. Engaging, Part 6

Not Beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies

* * *

When Fornell made it into the bullpen, all he could hear was DiNozzo talking loudly about someone he referred to as 'Sexy Lexi' and the dinner he had with her the previous weekend.

"Someone should warn her," he muttered, wishing someone had warned his daughter about the Rapper Drug Lord T.

Ziva, hearing his comment replied, "I am sure someone has."

"Ha!" Tony replied, "She loves me."

Ziva snorts, "The first time you met, you came onto her, even though her boyfriend was sitting right across from you."

"Really?" Tobias asked, shaking his head at the bravado of the young agent.

Tony smirks, "He's not her boyfriend now, is he?"

Ziva just shook her head at his words, knowing what he meant.

"Where's Gibbs?" Fornell asked at the break in conversation.

"With McGee," Tony supplied. "They should be here soon to tell you what we found."

"We?" Fornell asked, looking at his friend's team.

Ziva shrugged, "We were not going to let McGee do it all on his own. Took most of the night with the three of us working on it."

"Ah, hell," Fornell replied, "I did not mean for you guys to work so late."

"It needed to be done," Ziva said with a shrug.

"I cancelled a very important date," Tony informed the older man.

Ziva snorted, "McGee told you that you could leave, that he could handle it on his own."

Tony just shrugged before deciding to fill in the silence by continuing his tale of his dinner with Sexy Lexi, when he starts to describe the place, Fornell once more joins the conversation.

"I know that place," he shares, "One of my daughters' favorites."

"I can see why. I wasn't sure what to order at first. So tough to know what's good. Italian food can be very different at each restaurant. Anyway, Sexy Lexi asked me a few questions, then suggested something she thought fit me. Man, best night ever. I am so grateful." Tony stated, causing his audience to shake their heads at his antics. "Hey, I wonder if she has any Italian blood in her?

"Hmm," Tony continued thinking on that topic, "Taylor isn't really an Italian name, neither is Alexandria,"

"What did you say?" Fornell asked, staring at DiNozzo in shock.

"That's Sexy Lexi's full name," he explained with a grin, "Alexandria Taylor. As I said, it isn't Italian, so probably not, of course, there is always the other side of her family tree."

Fornell muttered something inaudibly; the only word distinguishable was 'Tea'.

"Oh, hell no," he exclaimed, racing out of the bullpen and towards the stairwell where he disappeared.

"What just happened?" Ziva asked, her eyes alight with curiosity.

Tony shrugged, "Don't know, but I agree that it was strange, an almost normal and probably the best conversation I ever had with a Feeb."

Ziva shook her head, "I meant why he left so suddenly."

"Phone call," Tony said dismissively.

"His phone did not ring," Ziva commented.

"Vibrate mode," Tony supplied, "or could've been a text."

"Hmm," Ziva replied, wondering if that was what had happened. "I hope everything is okay."

* * *

"Fornell, where are you?" Gibbs barked when his friend finally answered his phone. "You asked for my team's assistance on this case, then disappeared when he went to report."

"Family emergency," Tobias replied. "I had to see Allie. Gotta get her to break up with her boyfriend."

Gibbs frowned, "I thought you didn't know who he was."

"I didn't earlier," he confirmed.

"What, did you find out he's a drug lord?"

"Worse," Fornell grumbled.

"Then-"

"Tell your agent to stay away from my daughter," Tobias ordered before hanging up the phone, leaving Gibbs to stare at his phone in shock.

"Boss? What happened? Is he okay?"

Gibbs looked at Tim before his gaze drifted between Tony and Ziva.

"What the hell happened?"

Tony shrugged, "I have no idea. Fornell and I were actually having a fairly civilized conversation for a change."

Gibbs looked at Ziva who nodded in reply, "It is true. They were talking about the restaurant Tony met Lexi at when he followed Tim last week."

"He said it was one of Emily's favorites," Tony added.

Tim frowned, "I can't imagine a young teen eating there often enough for it to be a favorite."

"Hey, maybe she has a sophisticated palette," Tony argued.

"Tony, the majority of the place is a bar, what parent would take their child there when there are more familial restaurants in the area?"

"Hey, it's not for me to judge how Fornell and his ex raise her. Besides, in Italian culture, children are often allowed to partake in wine."

"We're not in Italy," Tim added dryly.

"Sti-"

"Enough," Gibbs ordered as he stared at his phone again, his friend's parting remark echoing through his head.

Turning to Ziva, he asked, "What happened right before Tobias left?"

Ziva's faced scrunched in concentration as she repeated the last few lines of the conversation.

"Ah, hell," he muttered, running a hand through his hand. "Tim," he began, only to find him not there.

"Where the hell did McGee go?"

"Ah, his phone rang," Tony replied before indicating his head to show McGee, pacing against the wanted wall, his face full of emotion.

* * *

11-9-18

See, I can be nice, first part of this chapter was too short to post on it's own, so I added the next part...

* * *

Hmm...wonder who called Tim...


	7. Engaging, Part 7

Not Beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies;

* * *

ENGAGING, PART 7

* * *

"What do you mean he wants you to break up with me? He doesn't even know me!" Tim argued.

"I know, and I'm not going to listen to him. He was ranting and raving so much I could barely follow the conversation. Kept telling me I could do better, not to settle. He was definitely not acting like the father, man, I have gotten to know."

"But why? Why does he want you to break up with me?" he asked again.

Tim could practically hear Lexi shrug. "Because he's crazy. I told you, he really wasn't making any sense." she replied. "He says he's trying to protect me. He says he knows enough. That this relationship will only end in disaster. That I don't know what I'm getting myself into."

Tim fell silent as he thought about his interactions with Lexi's father. The two men had only communicated by e-mail a few times and Tim thought he made a good impression. Last night was suppose to be their first fact to face meeting. Last night, Tim thought with a frown. "Is this because of last night? I'm sorry that I had to work, I really wanted to be there."

"I know,"

"I know I left it rather late, but I kept hoping that I would finish in time or be able to get away. You did tell him why I couldn't make it, right?"

"I told him something came up at work."

Tim nodded, "Did you tell him what I do?"

"No," she admitted. "I know you don't like sharing that information."

"Ah, honey," Tim soothed, "I don't, but he's your _father_. Regardless of how much he is a part of your, _our_ life," he corrected, "He's going to be my father-in-law. I have no doubt that he's going to find out sooner or later."

Lexi grunted, "Not if I never talk to him again. I spent the first 27 years of my life not knowing him, not speaking with him, I am fine with continuing that for another 27 years."

"Lexi," Tim tried to calm her down.

"No, Tim. He has no right to order me to break up with you. He has no rights over me. The fact that he would even try," she stopped, and he could hear her soft cries.

"Ah, Honey, it's just because he loves you and wants to protect you. We'll figure this out."

"What's to figure out?" Lexi retorted. "I love you, you love me, we'll get married and he'll never meet his grandchildren."

"I…" Tim was speechless at the thought of children.

"He acted like he knew who you were. He started rambling that a Rapper or a Drug Lord would be better than you. That you would only use me and break my heart."

"A rapper or a Drug Lord?" Tim repeated.

Lexi sighed, "I have no idea where he got that impression. Well," she admitted, "The Drug Lord came from you cancelling last night. Apparently, since I couldn't tell him what you do and you had a work situation come up so late, he jumped to conclusions."

If the situation wasn't so dire, Tim probably would've laughed at the idea that he was a drug lord. "And the rapper?"

"I honestly don't know," she sighed. "He kept rambling about an e-mail and tea. I almost called 911, thinking he was confused, wondering if he might have had a stroke."

Tim fell silent at her words.

"Tim?" she asked, when he didn't comment. "Honey, are you there?"

"Yeah, and I think I know about that last bit," he admitted. "The good news, I'm pretty sure he didn't have a stroke," he added, before explaining the e-mail he sent to her father.

"Oh, Honey," Lexi softly whispered. "That was so sweet. And it explains why he kept flip-flopping about wanting to know about you and pretending you didn't exist," she added with a laugh. "He's known me for less than two years and someone is asking his permission to marry me."

"He's your father," Tim replied. "I know you were just starting a relationship with him, I didn't want to jeopardize any future relationship with him, yours, mine, or our children's in any way."

"That is one of the many reasons why I love you," Lexi shared, her words causing Tim to blush in embarrassment and pleasure. "But that doesn't give him the right to order me around," she argued. "He was ranting about how he would deal with you like he deals with Drug lords, shoot them. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me, or to us. As long as I still have you, I'll be fine," he promised. "We'll set something else up with him, okay? You can invite him to join you for dinner to discuss this and I will show up. Hopefully if we are in public, he won't attack me. Hey, if we go to your favorite restaurant, I'll bring Tony to have my back, he hasn't stopped talking about that place or you."

"I don't know if it will be that easy," Lexi stated glumly. "One thing I have learned is that I've seemed to inherit my stubbornness from both parents."

Tim smiled, "Let's hope our kids aren't like that," he teased. "Still, we will keep trying with your father."

"We can always sic my mother on him," Lexi offered. "She loved you so much during our Skype time, that she flew in just to hug you in person."

Tim gave a faint smile, "I have a feeling she used that as an excuse because she missed you," he challenged. "But at least I know I have the approval of one of your parents."

"And my approval," Lexi added, "That's all you need. I said I would marry you and I meant it. Nothing my father says or does will change that."

"Hopefully we will figure this out and find out why your father has reacted this way before we even met," he reassured her once again. "Where is he now? You sure that you're safe?"

"Tim, I know I said he was crazy, but I meant in attitude. He's really not, he's as sane as you. Trust me, in his job, he has to be," she explained before answering his first question, "He said he had to go back to work."

Tim looked up and saw his team watching him, "Yeah, I think I do as well," he reluctantly admitted.

"Okay, I love you."

"I love you too, Lexi," he said before hanging up and approaching his team.

"Hey, guys,"

"Everything okay, Probie?" Tony asked, scanning Tim's face for clues as to what had happened.

"Yeah, just a slight situation with Lexi's father."

"The deadbeat dad?" Tony commented.

"Tony, don't call him that."

Tony just shrugged in reply.

"Tim, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Tim startled at Gibbs' question. Not only did the older man use his first name, but his tone was polite and he _asked_ to talk to him.

"What's going on boss?" he asked.

"Let's go back to the conference room," he suggested.

"Boss, you are really scaring me," Tim stated, listing why he felt that way when his team members all looked at him in alarm.

"C'mon, I'll explain," Gibbs promised, leading the way, Tim following with Tony and Ziva in pursuit.

* * *

11-10-2018

* * *

What is Gibbs gonna tell McGee? How will McGee react?


	8. Engaging, Part 8

Not Beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

ENGAGING, PART 8

* * *

"Boss, what is going on?" Tim asked again after the two sat down in the conference room. Gibbs had refused to allow Tony and Ziva admittance and had ordered them back to their desks to work on cold cases.

"How's Alexandria?"

"She's fin-" Tim paused and looked at Gibbs, "How do you know that's her name?" he asked suspiciously.

Gibbs shrugged.

"You know somehow. You didn't just guess it." Tim's eyes narrowed. "Most people would guess Alexandra, perhaps Alexa or Alexis, but not Alexandria. Tell me."

"Ziva shared the conversation that took place in the bullpen while you were in here with me."

"Um, okay," Tim accepted his non-answer "But there's something more going on here."

Gibbs gave a brief smile, proud of his agent for picking up on that.

"Tell me what Lexi had to say."

Tim frowned at the change of topic before sharing, after all, Gibbs would probably hear about it sooner or later, especially once Tony learned of it.

"Oh, hell, Tim, I'm sorry."

Tim shrugged, "I just can't figure out why," he admitted. "I mean, obviously cancelling on him last night didn't go over too well, but this is a rather extreme reaction. Lexi is all set to erase him from her life," Tim admitted, "But I really don't want her to do that, I know what it's like not to have a relationship with a parent, I can't let her do that," he added softly.

"It's her decision," Gibbs advised.

"I know, and I will respect whatever choice she makes, but if she does it, I want to make sure it is for the right reasons. Not because of pride or stubbornness," Tim stated with a grin. "She says she inherited her stubbornness from _both_ her parents," Tim confessed. "Obviously we aren't going to break up over this, and I _will_ officially ask her to marry me," Tim added, surprising Gibbs with the fact that there was an unofficial asking. "But we're not going to give in to him. She says not to take it personally, and I know that she's right, because he doesn't even know me, but how can I _not_ take it personally?"

"Tim," Gibbs replied softly, "He does know you."

"What? How?" Tim asked softly.

Gibbs just stared at him, waiting for him to ask the right question.

"Who?" Tim asked.

"Tobias."

"Fornell. Really?" Tim automatically asked, surprised that Lexi's father was someone he knew. What were the odds of that, he wondered. Of course, knowing that Tobias was an FBI agent explained why she never really talked about him, about what her father did. Tim snorted, Lexi had told him that her father worked in an office and was a glorified paper pusher. "How do you know?"

"He told me yesterday about Allie, his daughter," Gibbs stated. "His meeting with you last night was why he was in such a bad mood yesterday, she hadn't told him much about you, and he didn't expect it to be serious, but then you emailed him for permission to propose," Gibbs responded to Tim's look of shock that their scheduled meeting had Fornell upset. "Tony and Ziva were talking about how Tony met Lexi in the bullpen while waiting for us to finish up. Tony mentioned Lexi's full name, Tobias put the pieces together and rushed out to find his daughter."

Tim frowned, "What did he say to you on the phone?"

"Not important," Gibbs replied.

"What did he say." Tim repeated firmly.

Gibbs sighed, recognizing McGee's stubbornness kicking in, before stating that Fornell declared it a family emergency to get Lexi to break up with him. How he discovered that Lexi's boyfriend was worse than a drug lord. He concluded by saying that Fornell had told him to tell Tim to stay away from his daughter.

"Worse than a drug lord?" Tim repeated in shock. Gibbs just stared at his agent, wondering if he would feel the need to lash out, throw or break things while he processed this information.

Tim just slumped in his chair as he thought about the FBI agent and snorted, "And I thought he liked me."

Gibbs gave a sad smile. "He does, he was actually thinking about enlisting your help to find his daughter's boyfriend."

Tim glanced up, meeting his boss's eyes.

"Iloveyourdaughter," Gibbs said wryly.

"That would've been awkward," Tim muttered before groaning in embarrassment, as he explained, "I had no idea who he was and didn't want to use either of my work e-mails, or my personal ones, so I created that. All I knew about him was that Lexi was named after the town he lived in when she was born."

Tim reached for his phone, ready to call Lexi and let her know this latest twist in their story. He paused when another thought came to him, "Why does he think I'm worse than a drug lord? Why does he want her to dump me?"

Gibbs shrugged. "I don't know why."

"But you suspect."

Another shrug, "It could just be because you're an agent. He knows how tough it is to make a marriage succeed in our line of work, perhaps he just doesn't want his daughter in that situation."

Tim just looked at him.

"And," Gibbs reluctantly continued, unable to lie to those green eyes, "I know that he wasn't happy that Alexandria had found someone. He felt that he had just found her himself and now she was being taken away."

"Well, if he's not a part of her life, _our_ lives," he corrected, "It's his own damn fault!" he finished angrily before exiting the conference room.

He didn't know where he was going and knew he still need to share this information with Lexi, but he really felt the need to hit someone. Maybe Tony would be up for sparring in the gym.

Entering the bullpen, he stopped short at the sight of Tobias Fornell talking with Ziva and Tony as if he hadn't just tried to ruin Tim's life. Suddenly Tim knew exactly who he wanted to hit.

* * *

11-11-18


	9. Engaging, Part 9

Not beta'd; standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

ENGAGING, PART 9

* * *

"Is everything all right?" Ziva asked, causing Tony to look up to see who she was talking to.

"Hey, Fornell, glad you're back," he said, pausing midstep when the Feeb's gaze turned to him. "Uh, I'm guessing everything is not all right and that you're mad at me for some reason."

Fornell approached Tony, until the two stood chest to chest, meeting the younger agent's eyes, Fornell ordered, "You stay away from Alexandria. No more dinners, no phone conversations, no texts, nothing! And no more nicknames!" The last command almost shouted. "You hear me?"

"Ah, yeah, I hear you," Tony replied, exchanging confused looks with Ziva.

"You know Lexi?" Ziva injected, hoping to find out what was going on.

"She's my daughter," he answered, his gaze still locked on Tony. Satisfaction settled in when the younger agent paled.

"You're the deadbeat dad?" Tony said automatically, taking a step back when Fornell growled.

"Sorry!" Tony apologized, not caring if he was breaking rule 6.

"Call her," he hissed. "Call her and tell her that you want nothing more to do with her, _ever_."

"I, uh,"

"What?" Fornell said, spying Tony's phone on his desk and picking it up to hand to him. "Call her."

"I, uh, don't have her number," he admitted.

"What, did you already move on to your next girlfriend?" Fornell spat.

"She's not my girlfriend," Tony protested.

"Does she know that? Is this all a game to you? She's with another guy when you meet her, so you have to prove to yourself that your better than him by getting her to break up with him to see you. What was all that about marriage, then? Just a way to 'win' the game? You make me sick," Fornell hissed.

"I h-" Tony began, trying to explain, only to fall silent when Fornell glared at him again. If he didn't know better, he would think Fornell had taken glaring lessons from Gibbs. Then again, who knows what those two men did.

"I would like nothing better than to shoot you right now." Fornell whispered as he leaned closer to Tony. "Unfortunately, there are too many witnesses here. I suggest you do as I say or else be very careful," he threatened.

Ziva broke out of her trance like state. She had been mesmerized, and a bit entertained, by the scene before her, at least until the threats came. "Fornell,"

"Don't bother defending him," Fornell interrupted. "He's not worth it."

"I know," Ziva replied, "But I think there is a misunderstanding somewhere."

"Really?" Fornell asked sarcastically, "So he didn't make a play for her with her boyfriend right next to him? They didn't have dinner last week? He didn't create an internet account asking me for permission to ask for my daughter's hand in marriage? He didn't cancel on us at the last minute last night?"

"No, well, no to half of those," Ziva admitted. "He did the first two, but not the latter. He's not engaged to Lexi."

"You better believe he's not," Fornell agreed. "And he never will be."

"Tim!" Tony said loudly, finally finding his voice again, "Tim!"

"McGee can't help you now."

"No, it's Tim that's seeing Se-Lexi. Tim! Not me," Tony replied.

Fornell paused at this bit of information, "What?"

"That is what I was trying to say," Ziva rolled her eyes. "There has been a misunderstanding."

"You were taking too long," Tony mumbled. "I could've been dead by the time you said it."

"McGee?" Fornell repeated, finally stepping away from Tony, who collapsed in his chair in relief. "McGee is T?"

The other agents exchanged looks, wondering why Fornell was so obsessed with tea.

"Er, Tim is engaged to Lexi, or rather," Ziva clarified, "Hopes to be."

"Tim," Tobias repeated. He turned to Tony, "But you came on to her, had dinner with her last week," he began.

Tony swallowed, "Uh, that was the first time I met her. Tim wouldn't introduce her to any of us, so I followed him one night when he left here. He knew that I was there and pulled into a restaurant where we talked and had a beer. Lexi came in, Tim couldn't take his eyes off of her. She noticed and approached our table, with Tim being almost engaged, I tried to pi-I tried to start a conversation with her," Tony corrected, remembering who he was talking to. "Imagine my surprise when I discovered she was Probie's kinda fiancee."

"McGee." Fornell repeated.

"Yes, McGee," Ziva repeated impatiently.

Tobias looked around, "Where is McGee?"

"With Gibbs," Tony replied, standing up to face Fornell again. There was no way he was going to let the Feeb intimidate his Probie and try to steal his happiness.

"Uh, not anymore," Ziva corrected, nodding to the figure approaching them.

* * *

11-12-18


	10. Engaging, Part 10

Not beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

ENGAGING, PART 10

* * *

"Don't," Gibbs whispered in his agent's ear as he started forward once again. "Don't," he repeated.

Tim stopped moving and turned to look at the older man.

"I understand the sentiment, but it's not going to help anything. In fact, it will just make him believe that he did the right thing. Is that what you want?"

"No," Tim replied softly, his hand continuing to clench and unclench.

Gibbs nodded. "Are you calm enough to head over there now, or do you need some time?"

He took a deep breath, repeating to himself that Fornell's opinions didn't matter. He and Lexi loved each other. They would get married, make a success of that marriage and enjoy their life together. Maybe someday Fornell will accept him for who and what he was and will have the father/daughter relationship with Lexi that they both want, but until then, he will be there for her. After slowly exhaling, he answered, "I'm ready."

Gibbs nodded again, seeing the truth of that statement, "Then go get some answers and give him hell."

Tim grinned at his boss, nodding decisively, "I will," he promised, "But first I have to _give_ some answers."

Those words had Gibbs looking at him curiously.

"Case comes first," Tim clarified. "I will let him know what I found for him, _then_ I'll see about getting my answers," he added before the two once more headed towards the bullpen, Tim's mind swirling with thoughts and questions about Lexi and their current situation the entire time.

"Gibbs, McGee," Fornell pleasantly greeted them, as the two walked closer, curious about what the two had talked about before they had headed over to the bullpen, "Thank you for getting this done so quickly."

"Agent Fornell," Tim greeted coldly, surprising his coworkers with his formality and frostiness.

Tobias gave a puzzled look towards Gibbs who just smirked and shrugged, not saying a word.

"Let me tell you what we found," Tim said before launching into details that left Tobias amazed.

"Can't believe you found all that, and so quickly as well," he responded once Tim was finished. "I'm impressed."

Tim snorted, "Not impressed enough, apparently."

"McGee," Gibbs warned.

"Right," Tim said, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling. He then withdrew something from his pocket. "Here are the copies of everything you need. Your people should have no problems following it, but if they have any questions, they can contact me."

"Thank you again," Fornell repeated, wondering what was bothering the kid. Usually DiNozzo was the one to pull an attitude when an FBI agent was in the vicinity.

"Anything else you need help with regarding this case?"

"I…no," the Feeb responded, taken aback by what he perceived as McGee's eagerness to get away from him.

"Then I'll see you again sometime," Tim said, quickly walking away, surprising everyone by not returning to his desk.

Gibbs stared at McGee's retreating form, a frown on his face as he wondered why his agent decided not to get the answers to the questions he asked earlier.

"Hey, Probie, wait up," Tony called, as he chased after his teammate. "Have I got a story for you."

Ziva looked around the bullpen, "Does he not know?"

Fornell contemplated her words. That was a very high possibility, after all, he had just informed Ziva and DiNozzo that he was Allie's father. Neither Gibbs nor McGee had been in the bullpen at that time, so it was quite likely that the young agent was in the dark.

"Um, McGee is my daughter's _boyfriend_ ," Tobias stated, scrutinizing Gibbs for signs of surprise.

"Yeah, we figured that out," Gibbs replied, staring at Fornell, not liking how he stressed his last word. Gibbs wasn't sure if he could forgive Tobias for making him tell Tim that Fornell didn't approve the match. He couldn't be mad at the decision itself, it wasn't any of Gibbs' business, but the fact that Fornell dragged him into, breaking the news to McGee? That was something he could and did hold against his old friend. "I would think you would be relieved to learn that her boyfriend wasn't a drug lord or a rapper," Gibbs added coldly.

The FBI Agent frowned at his friend's words and tone. Gibbs seemed upset with him. Shaking his head, Fornell decided he would stop by the basement for some bourbon later to get to the bottom of that, right now he was more curious about what was going on with McGee. He couldn't remember a time when the computer genius was so distant. "Then why…" Fornell stopped, voice trailing off, not sure how to phrase McGee's actions and attitude.

Gibbs stared him down, "Case comes first. McGee always has and always will put the case before any personal issues or conflicts. He's a good egg that way," Gibbs added, purposely using the phrase Fornell had used to describe the young agent the previous day. "And I guess he decided that he wants to talk _away_ from the yard."

Fornell nodded, understanding that, though still a bit unsure about why McGee was so cold towards him. "Tell him to call me, we have a lot to talk about," he said, heading towards the elevator.

Gibbs snorted at the understatement as he followed his friend. Realizing that he still might be able to help his agent, he asked, "I just want to know one thing, Tobias. Why?"

Before Fornell could respond, the elevator arrived and the doors opened. Out of nowhere, a figure rushed towards the two older agents. Within minutes, Fornell was pushed inside the elevator and the doors had closed behind them.

"What the hell was that?" Gibbs asked once the shock had worn off.

"More of a who than a what," Tony commented with a smirk. The SFA had arrived a few paces behind his Probie, curious about what he was going to say or do. There was no way Tony wanted to miss McGee yelling at the Feeb. Unfortunately, it looked like everyone would be missing that.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs growled, his words accompanied with his trademark head slap.

"McGee," Tony admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why?"

"I told him about the latest conversation between Ziva, myself, and Fornell."

Ziva laughed, "You didn't."

"I did," Tony confirmed.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on and if I have to worry about McGee committing murder in the elevator?" Gibbs demanded.

* * *

11-13-2018

* * *

Hmm, no cameras in the elevator...Think McGee could get away with murder saying it was self-defense?

Not too much left of this story...I hope you are enjoying it.


	11. Engaging, Part 11

Not what'd; standard disclaimer applies

ENGAGING, Part 11

* * *

"Hey, Ziva, what do you mean that I'm not worth defending?" Tony suddenly asked as he remembered what his teammate had said earlier. The two had already explained their most recent conversation with Fornell. Which lead to questions about their first conversation with the FBI Agent that morning.

Gibbs had _not_ been as amused as Ziva had been. He was glad that Tim was now aware of the reason for Fornell's strong reaction, but that didn't mean that he would be okay with Tim dating, or rather, _marrying,_ his daughter. Since Tony and Ziva had finished, his gaze hadn't left the elevator doors.

Ziva just shrugged before turning to Gibbs to ask him a question, "Do y-"

"I'm going for coffee," Gibbs muttered, shooting one more glance at the elevator.

"Oh, no," Tony smirked, glad that Gibbs had left the bullpen, "You can't just shrug it off. What did you mean by that? You also seemed to agree with Fornell that Lexi should be warned about me."

"Not necessarily Lexi," Ziva corrected.

"You mean any and every girl," Tony grinned. "It's because I'm so charming, right?"

"Not quite," Ziva replied dryly.

"Okay, then tell me what you meant."

She shrugged. "You are Tony, we love you for who and what you are," she stated, causing the senior field agent to glow in pride.

"So you didn't mean to say that I wasn't _worth_ defending, but rather, that I didn't _need_ to be defended," Tony advised.

"Not at all. You weren't worth defending because there was nothing _I_ could say or do that would change Fornell's opinion of you."

Tony frowned, "You can't really believe that he has a high opinion of me."

"I don't," she agreed.

"Then why..."

"He has known you longer than I have," Ziva reminded her teammate. "His opinion is based on what you say and what you do. It is not up to me to change his opinion of you, that is why you were not worth defending."

"Oh." Tony contemplated her words, believing he understood her point. It didn't necessarily reflect on what _Ziva_ thought of him, but rather her belief that her words and efforts were pointless to change someone else's opinion. "And warning Lexi, and others," he added when Ziva opened her mouth to comment, "About me?"

She shrugged, "I am sure McGee told Lexi about you. Of course, since your meeting that night was unplanned, it might have worked in your favor."

"What do you mean?"

"Simply that Timothy probably didn't have time to inform her of every little thing you have done in the past and might try to do again. I have no doubt that when McGee is with his love that he has better things to do than talk about work and his team."

Tony snorted, "Like talking about his computer, his high scores, and his books would really interest someone. The only excitement Probie has in his life is because of us."

"Why does life have to be exciting?" Ziva asked. "Besides, perhaps they talk about her life, their shared interests, and hopes for the futures."

"Boring," Tony stated, faking a yawn. "McGee is as dull as dishwater."

"Lexi doesn't think so."

Tony hesitates for a moment, "Okay, I admit, that surprises me. And I understand why Fornell was upset because he thought I was the one dating his daughter."

"You do?" Ziva questioned in surprise, astonished that Tony would admit to something like that.

"Well, yeah, I mean, the guy hates me," Tony grinned. "Probably because of all the times our team has pulled one over on him," he added with a smirk.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs began as he entered the bullpen, "You can't really believe that you are an answer to a father's prayer when it comes to their daughters, can you?"

"Why not? I have a great career that I love. I'm handsome, charming, successful, financially comfortable,"

"Modest," Ziva injected with an eye roll.

"Have a great sense of humor, fun, pleasant to be with, sensitive,"

Gibbs tuned Tony out as he continued listing his own traits. Once he had finished, Gibbs looked him in the eye and asked, "If you had a daughter, would you want her to date someone like you? Not just someone with the traits you listed, but someone who constantly talks about those dates with his coworkers, who rarely dates the same woman for more than two months, someone unwilling, perhaps even unable to talk about their feelings without turning it into a joke?"

Ziva smirked when Tony's mouth open and shut without saying a word as the agent paled.

"I..." Tony looked around the bullpen, noticing that Ziva was also staring at him, waiting for an answer. His gaze flitted to the elevator, "Maybe we should try calling McGee and Fornell and make sure that they are both still breathing," he suggested, hoping to change the subject.

"Maybe we should get to work on those cold cases," Gibbs retorted, glaring until his agents returned to work.

* * *

"McGee!" Fornell shouted once he realized who had pushed him into the elevator. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Tim," he replied, as he stopped the car from moving. "If I'm marrying your daughter, you should probably refer to me by my first name," he added. "I prefer that over drug lord or Rapper T."

"You talked to Lexi."

Tim nodded, "Yes, and it wasn't to break up," he pointedly added.

Fornell glanced around uncomfortably, "Look…"

"You thought I was Tony?!"

Fornell frowned, "I thought Allie's _boyfriend_ was Tony," he corrected.

Tim stared at him for a moment, "Would you have acted the same if you knew it was me?"

"I don't know, probably not," he confessed.

"And now?" Tim asked.

"You're a much better choice than DiNutso," he replied.

Tim rolled his eyes, "Not exactly a ringing endorsement," he commented. "You thought a drug lord or a rapper were better choices."

"I know," Fornell acknowledged. "Look, Allie mentioned that there was a friend she wanted me to meet, wouldn't tell me his name, what he did, how they met, or where he lived. Then I get an email from her _friend_ signed with a single letter. We finally arranged to meet and he cancels at the last minute, and my _daughter_ didn't give me any explanation other than something came up at work. I already had enough of this guy when I came to the yard this morning and heard DiNozzo bragging about his latest to Ziva. When he mentioned that the girl he referred to as Sexy Lexi was Allie Taylor, _my_ Allie, I saw red. It's lucky that I left to talk to her rather than shoot him like I wanted."

Tim snorted, "Gibbs would've killed you."

Fornell shrugged, "I think he would've understood. In fact, I think any jury in the world would've sympathized with me."

Tim raised an eyebrow, "Until it came out that you were wrong and that it was a case of mistaken identity."

"Still might've gotten away with it," Fornell argued, "But yeah, that would've been an issue."

"Even if Tony _was_ her boyfriend, how do you think she would've reacted to what you had done?"

Fornell paled, causing Tim to nod, knowing that his point had been made.

The two men continued to look at each other. "I'm not giving her up," Tim finally said. "I love her. These last two years have been the happiest in my life."

"Two years?" Fornell repeated. "I just found out about you a few months ago."

Tim just shrugged, that was between Lexi and her father. "I've known her for a while. I love everything about her and still plan on asking her to marry me,"

Fornell opened his mouth to reply before stopping as he remembered something. "I congratulated you on your engagement the other day."

Tim grinned, "You did."

"You already asked her?"

"Not quite," he admitted, "Tony kinda asked her for me."

"DiNozzo," he growled before Tim explained how Tony had revealed his plan.

"As we talked, well, emailed, I was planning on waiting until we met, assuming that it happened in the next month or two," Tim admitted. "I was hoping for your blessing and approval before hand, but it isn't necessary for either of us," he added. "One thing I am positive about is that when I do formally ask, she will say yes."

Fornell nodded, he really had no reason not to give his permission. He had no doubt that McGee would do anything to make sure Allie was happy. The two cared about each other a lot, any fool could see that. Denying them this would only hurt his relationship with Allie, driving a wedge between them, making her choose between her future and her past. Looking at McGee, _Tim_ , Tobias knew which one she would pick.

"Wait," Fornell said suspiciously as he remembered something else. "Allie told me that she's moving soon."

"Ah, yeah," Tim admitted. "We found a place together."

Fornell froze and stared at Tim, not sure how to continue. Tim just met his gaze and waited as the older man gathered his thoughts. Finally Tobias sighed, "I can't really say much since it is obvious that her mother and I never married, that we had never planned on getting married."

Tim shrugged, "She's your daughter, you can say a lot," he argued, before explaining, "That was one of the reasons why I planned on proposing within the next two months, well, that and because I hoped to celebrate the holidays this year with my fiancee or wife," he sheepishly added.

Fornell fell silent as he once more thought about things.

"DiNozzo referred to me as the deadbeat dad," Fornell shared.

Tim winced, "I'm sorry. I kept telling him not to."

Fornell shrugged, "In a way, he's right. Yeah, her mother told me I wasn't the father, but I was very happy to hear that and eager to believe it, didn't even argue."

Tim shrugged, "You were a kid and you can't be blamed for her actions."

"I was excited when her mother finally told me the truth, I was also angry. I missed out on so much with her."

"You can't change the past," Tim reminded the older man. "The only thing you can do is build a relationship with her now. I know she wants that," Tim shared.

"So do I," Fornell admitted.

"She also wants your blessing on our relationship," Tim stated, staring at his companion, this time demanding an answer.

"I…" Tobias hesitated. "We've probably known her for the same amount of time," he began.

"Uh, not really," Tim interrupted.

"What do you mean?"

Tim swallowed, before explaining how he knew Lexi, Allie when they were teens living in California.

Fornell sighed, "I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse," he admitted.

Tim shrugged, "Does it even really matter? We both love her, want the best for her, and want her to be happy, right?"

Fornell nodded before the two fell into an awkward silence.

"You know, I figured I would have at least a dozen years before I had to worry about having this conversation with someone about Emily. I didn't know that I would find out that I was a father to a daughter in her late twenties. It hasn't even been two years since I found out about her," Fornell added.

Tim nodded in understanding. "I get it, I really do," he stressed. "But you have to realized that how you react now is going to set the tone for any relationship you hope to have with your daughter, if you want a relationship," he added.

"I do," Fornell confirmed, his decision made.

"Just promise me one thing, Tim?"

"What's that?" Tim asked hesitantly. He was pleased that Fornell used his first name, hoping that it meant the older man was accepting about Tim's relationship with his daughter, but years of working with Tony had cured him of the habit of agreeing to something before he knew what it was.

"That when you two move, you make Tony carry all the heavy furniture," Fornell asked with a wide grin.

"I can do that," Tim replied, happily as the two men shook hands, glad that he and Fornell seemed to have reached some type of peace.

"Call me, Tobias," he suggested, "Unless you want to make that 'Dad'?"

"Uh, maybe after the wedding?" Tim proposed tentatively, not wanting to give the Feeb cause to rescind his blessing.

"I'll hold you to that," he replied with a grin. "Of course, if you decide to do it before then and DiNozzo's around..." his voice trailed off as he smirked at his future son-in-law.

As Tim restarted the elevator, Tobias added, "Please don't have him be your best man," he pleaded, as he imagined the toast and scene the loud SFA would create. not to mention the bachelor party.

Tim grinned, as much as he and Tony got along, the older agent was a bit too wild for him. "How do you feel about Jimmy?"

"Palmer's good, I can handle Palmer."

The two exchanged smirks.

"Oh, and one more thing," Tobias requested, "Can I be _please_ there when you tell DiNozzo that?"

The elevator doors opened at that point, letting everyone witness the two breaking into gales of laughter.

Gibbs smirked at the sight, it looked like things turned out well for his agent, he couldn't be prouder.

* * *

11-14-2018

* * *

Okay, that might be it for this story...have a few tentative scenes about holiday dinner with the Team and Fornell, and perhaps one of the wedding. Mostly snippets, let me know if you guys want more or not.

I'm just glad I was able to get this done up to this point and posted before tomorrow, I'm going in for dental surgery and am not sure how much I will feel up to writing or posting this weekend and after that it is the holidays and since I work in retail, something tells me I'm not going to have a lot of 'free' time on my hands.

Anyway, I want to thank everyone for reading and this, and special thanks to those who review. I love hearing from you guys.


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